Career Opportunities on Cruise Ships

When students enroll in hotel management schools, one career path they might pursue is working on a cruise ship. Cruises have skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade—as they offer a convenient all-inclusive trip which often takes passengers to several different locations. What’s excellent about pursuing cruise ship employment opportunities is that there are so many different positions available. From assisting tourists in guest services to managing the hotel staff—hospitality and hotel management schools will have you prepared! Read on to find out some of the different career paths you can pursue on a cruise ship:

Recreation/Activity Director

If you’ve ever taken an event planning course, then this career path might just be for you! The recreation director serves as a host on the cruise ship, and works hard to ensure that passengers are occupied with all the fun activities that are available. Their duties can include:

Introducing passengers to the captain and crew

Giving tours of the cruise ship to new passengers

Organizing entertainment on the ship

Provide information on local events when docking

This career path is perfect for someone who likes taking on a leadership role and planning fun events!

Hotel Management

A cruise ship is a kind of all-in-one package—sleeping, eating and entertainment. Like any hotel, a cruise ship requires a hotel manager to oversee bookings, room maintenance and getting passengers to their correct room. The hotel manager also oversees the entire hotel department onboard the ship, and attends meetings with other departments to coordinate the best service possible. Earning your hotel management diploma ensures that you have the proper skills to take on the multiple duties of a hotel manager, and provide the exceptional service passengers expect on a cruise.

Shore Excursion Manager

Of course, cruise ships don’t only operate on the water. Cruises will often travel from island to island, or coast to coast and let passengers off for day trips. These day trips require some form of management, which is conducted by the shore excursion manager. As their title suggests, shore excursion managers are responsible for managing all the shore operations undertaken by the cruise company. In this management position, employees ensure that all their shore staff are organized and provide the best quality activities for the passengers. The shore excursion manager will also:

Provide passengers with information about the port they are docking in.

Train staff to coordinate excursions.

Maintain a strong floor presence.

Assist passengers with questions or concerns.

Guest Services

There are, on average, around 1,000 passengers on every cruise ship, meaning that there will always be people who require information services pertaining to the cruise and its amenities. A guest services employee will often work with both English and non-English speaking passengers, meaning that an expertise in other languages is not a necessity, but definitely an asset for this job. Responsibilities of a guest services worker include:

Answering questions from both English and non-English speaking passengers.